tbunao wrote:This is why I listen to journey before hunts
Err... wait. What does a wheel in the sky have to do with confidence?
tbunao wrote:This is why I listen to journey before hunts
DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.
seazofcheeze wrote:greenhorndave wrote:Trout wrote:I also agree. I think we all still have primal instincts buried deep in our brains and when we are not confident in a spot, its because that instinct is saying this ain't the right spot. That doesn't mean the instinct is always right but learning from that bad spot choice can develop the instinct to be better.
I love that feeling of thinking you are in the right spot when I listen to my instincts. Makes hunting a lot more fun and enjoyable cause you feel like its going to happen any second instead of hoping its going to happen eventually.
I’ve gotten burned a couple times by letting overthinking overpower that gut instinct. I’m going to listen to that instinct a whole lot more this season.
In my opinion "gut instinct" is simply the subconscious mind expressing accumulated past experiences. If a spot (or type of spot) didn't work out in the past several times, then gut instinct tells us "this is not the right spot" even though we may not recall exactly why and vice versa if a spot has worked out in the past then gut instinct tells us this spot seems right when we recognize some similarities to spots that have produced in the past.
With that said, confidence to me is a "chicken or the egg" type of question. Too much confidence early on can have a guy sitting a whole lot of spots that he believes in, but for the wrong reasons, or interpreting sign in a way that is incorrect. Not enough confidence after a fair amount of learning can have a guy second guessing himself and not sitting spots he should be, or throwing in the the towel too early. Unfortunately, I think real confidence can only be earned by paying dues in time and experience. The more time and experience, the more confidence.
Lockdown wrote:tbunao wrote:This is why I listen to journey before hunts
Err... wait. What does a wheel in the sky have to do with confidence?
Dewey wrote:DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.
Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.
Lockdown wrote:Dewey wrote:DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.
Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.
At work earlier I was thinking along these lines. Although it wasn’t a big buck, years ago I busted a move just before sundown. I was hunting a great spot with a sub par wind. I was giving up (winding) a trail that my scent stream would normally miss. It was late in the year so I decided to roll the dice.
With an hour of daylight left a pheasant hunter on the neighboring property tromped everything on his side of the fence 75 yards away. I was basically left with one viable trail. I was disgusted. Enough so that I packed up and raced to a different preset 500 yards away. I figured I’d have 40 minutes of light once I got set up.
Sure enough a basket 8 came right in 10 minutes after I got situated and I ten ringed him at 17 yards. I remember my dad saying “most people would have stayed and hoped for the best.” But my gut was screaming at me to go make something happen.
So when it comes to gut instinct, I almost always listen. That said, I know I’m not always right. And part of what leads to confidence is being ok with making the wrong decision sometimes. I’m sure I’ve scouted along, debated on setting up, and walked past a bedded shooter buck. Statistically it has to happen.
My thoughts are I’m far better off searching for that smoking gun vs settling for the “I guess this will do” type sign.
Lockdown wrote:Dewey wrote:DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.
Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.
At work earlier I was thinking along these lines. Although it wasn’t a big buck, years ago I busted a move just before sundown. I was hunting a great spot with a sub par wind. I was giving up (winding) a trail that my scent stream would normally miss. It was late in the year so I decided to roll the dice.
With an hour of daylight left a pheasant hunter on the neighboring property tromped everything on his side of the fence 75 yards away. I was basically left with one viable trail. I was disgusted. Enough so that I packed up and raced to a different preset 500 yards away. I figured I’d have 40 minutes of light once I got set up.
Sure enough a basket 8 came right in 10 minutes after I got situated and I ten ringed him at 17 yards. I remember my dad saying “most people would have stayed and hoped for the best.” But my gut was screaming at me to go make something happen.
So when it comes to gut instinct, I almost always listen. That said, I know I’m not always right. And part of what leads to confidence is being ok with making the wrong decision sometimes. I’m sure I’ve scouted along, debated on setting up, and walked past a bedded shooter buck. Statistically it has to happen.
My thoughts are I’m far better off searching for that smoking gun vs settling for the “I guess this will do” type sign.
Dewey wrote:I’ve said it before if you don’t feel confident that the spot your hunting will produce a deer your looking for based on current sign it’s probably best to pack up and move. Stanley always said never waste a hunt in a garbage spot. If your not feeling it…..move. Confidence is everything. Your more focussed and tuned into things around you when you get that gut feeling that something special is about to happen. Hunt with a purpose.
I always go into a hunt with the mindset that this is the day I’m going to kill my biggest buck. When my hunt is over for the day and it doesn’t happen then tomorrow is the day. A positive attitude kills WAY more deer than a negative attitude and if you don’t kill one at least you had fun trying. I try to find joy in every single hunt no matter how bad it was. Self doubt and being hard on yourself just ruins the experience. Do your best to eliminate negative thoughts completely. Hunting’s supposed to be fun.
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